Martha and Frank have been married for 56 years and display much care and affection for one another. Frank is 81 years old and has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s. When Home Instead was called, Frank was under hospice care and as Martha said, “at death’s door”. He was given just days to weeks to live. Martha was committed to keeping Frank at home, but his needs made it difficult for her alone to provide for all of his care as well their son Toby’s, who has special needs.

Over the past 16 months our CAREGiver Kristi, assists Frank with walking since he is a fall risk. She also helps with bathing, grooming, medication reminders and his daily physical therapy exercises. More importantly, Kristi provides positive reassurance and a peaceful environment to ensure that Frank is comfortable and Martha gets some respite. Kristi also encourages Frank to eat and provides him with good nutrition.

Martha said, “The kindness, presence and loving care of our CAREGivers made the difference in bringing Frank back to the real world. CAREGivers like Kristi now know our routine to the point that I don’t even have to ask her to do things. They allow me to get out more for business, errands, and to attend to appointments and special events as needed with our son, Toby. Even when they aren’t with us, just knowing I have back-up support helps me more than you’ll ever know”.

As a result of Kristi’s care, Frank has been released from hospice care, is less depressed and more hopeful about living his later days to the fullest. With help from Home Instead, Frank lives in familiar surroundings, in the comfort of his own home and is able to enjoy the view of the lake. Martha has more time to care for Toby and Martha and Frank are grateful for the additional year and a half together… and the rest of their love story is still being written!

2011 Walk to End Alzheimer’s

Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth-leading cause of death in theUnited Statestoday.  It’s time to reclaim the future – a future free from this disease. Will you join me?

I’m participating in the 2011 Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s, the nation’s largest event to raise awareness and funds to fight Alzheimer’s disease. By joining my team, you can help end this epidemic and show your support for the more than 5 million Americans living with the disease. 

The Alzheimer’s Association is the largest voluntary health organization in Alzheimer care, support and research, and the funds we raise will go directly toward supporting their efforts.

The end of Alzheimer’s starts here. To register, visit the link below.

Joing Our Team Today!

Walk Details: 

Where: SymphonyParkat SouthPark

4400 Sharon Road

Charlotte, North Carolina

(Across from Dick’s Sporting Goods) 

When: Saturday, November 12, 2011

Registration opens at 9:00am

Length: Two Miles

$100 Gift Card Giveaway!

Maybe it’s Mom’s spaghetti and meatballs. Perhaps it’s Grandma’s apple strudel or Dad’s chili. Every family has that favorite dish. But if your elderly loved one is no longer able to cook, you may not have had that special recipe for a while.

It may be time to get out the cookbook. If you’re a family caregiver, retrieve that favorite recipe. Tell us in a short story what makes this dish so special. Then enter the Homemade Memories Recipe Contest – which runs from July 15 to September 15, 2011.

Selected recipes and stories will be published online as well as in the Homemade Memories Cookbook that will be available for purchase prior to the 2011 holiday season. Proceeds will go to the non-profit Home Instead Senior Care® Foundation to benefit North American seniors.

The contest is part of the Craving Companionship program, launched to help seniors stay connected socially and eat more nutritiously. Tips and practical advice promote geriatric health. Research conducted for the Home Instead Senior Care network reveals that the biggest mealtime challenge for older people who live alone is lack of the shared family experience including companionship.*

Maybe it’s traditional “comfort food” like meatloaf. Or perhaps it’s an ethnic dish that has been passed down through the generations. Whatever the recipe, share it with your senior and others today, and do your part to bring back good nutrition for your elderly loved one.

*The Home Instead Senior Care network completed 600 telephone interviews with seniors age 75 and older in the U.S. and 400 in Canada, excluding Quebec, who live alone in their own homes or apartments. The U.S. sampling error is +/-4.0% at a 95% confidence level. The Canadian sampling error is +/-4.9% at a 95% confidence level.

Eleanor, a youthful 92 year old, had hip replacement surgery. Although she lived with her son and daughter-in-law, they needed extra help with Eleanor’s transition back home. 

Lisa, a professional CAREGiver with Home Instead Senior Care, was the answer.  Lisa helped Eleanor with bathing, preparing meals, getting to and from doctor’s appointments and encouraging Eleanor with her physical therapy exercises from a therapist at a home health company.  Lisa was also there to talk and to play scrabble with Eleanor.

Home Instead can be there when you are not able to.  Our trained, bonded and insured CAREGivers develop special relationships with their clients and can be a short or long term solution for their changing needs. We work together with home health agencies to provide the best solution for those who want to be safe and independent at home. Because our CAREGivers are your eyes and ears, they can alert you to changes….and allow you to be a spouse, son or daughter again. 

Home Instead Senior Care is locally owned and operated. We have been in Mecklenburg County since 2000 and we are the 2010 winner of the Silver Torch Award from the Better Business Bureau Consumer Foundation for Service Excellence for older adults.

Please call us at 704.344.0801 for a no obligation Care Consultation or visit us at www.homeinsteadcharlotte.com

A survey of future family caregivers conducted for the Home Instead Senior Care network indicates a widespread lack of knowledge including the fact that less than half (47 percent) say they know about their parents’ medical histories in case of an emergency.  

That’s why Home Instead Senior Care has worked with Humana Points of Caregiving^® to develop a variety of resources to help families be better prepared.

The Caring for Your Parents: Senior Emergency Kit^SM, an information management tool, can help family caregivers keep important information at their fingertips such as their senior’s doctors, pharmacy and insurance company, medications and dosage details as well as allergies. For more information, go to www.SeniorEmergencyKit.com or call Home Instead Senior Care in Mecklenburg County at 704-344-0801.

Every year, Centralina Council Agency on Aging holds an annual social worker appreciation luncheon to recognize social workers who have been doing an outstanding job in the community. This year the event was held at Covenant Presbyterian Church with over 200 social workers in attendance.
 
A volunteer based committee was started 15 years ago by Julie Adams to honor social workers. Various social workers are nominated throughout the community and the winners are selected by this volunteer committee. The committee is made up of professionals who work in Charlotte hospitals, public health systems, Hospice and senior support organizations. 
 
There are several categories in which the committee reviews the nominations. They then vote based on the nominating criteria for each category including, how the individual has continuously gone above and beyond their job description in more than one instance involving: the wellbeing of patients, seeking out new and appropriate resources on behalf of patients, sharing knowledge with patients, families, peers and colleagues and advocating effectively for the well being of patient and family at all times.

Ms. Betty J.

Our CAREGiver of the month program is designed to acknowledge certain Home Instead CAREGivers that consistently go “above and beyond” in the care they provide to their client’s. This month one paticular CAREGiver stood out from the rest because of her sweet smile, nurturing spirit and loving care she provides to all of her client’s.

Betty has been continually going above and beyond with her clients for almost three years. Mrs. M said “she is charming, doesn’t have to be told what to do and is a great organizer, clothes closet, etc”.

Mr. E says “she really went the extra mile over the holidays by decorating my home for Christmas and even brought some of her own items from home.

Thank you for all you do, these little things make a big difference!

Mr. and Mrs. D with CAREGiver Jean

Thank you for allowing Home Instead to assist Mecklenburg County senior citizens throughout their aging journey. The feedback that we receive from our clients, their family members and our CAREGivers is so important to our mission of being the most trusted source of companionship for seniors, that we have taken our survey methods to a new level.

Through an exclusive partnership with J.D. Power and Associates, CAREGivers and Clients are routinely surveyed, biannually to ensure consistent delivery of high quality service. The survey questions them about their satisfaction with the Home Instead Senior Care franchise office. Clients are surveyed to assess the performance of the CAREGiver as well as the Home Instead staff, while CAREGivers report on their level of satisfaction with their job as well as their relationship with the office. Results show that happy CAREGivers deliver quality care to clients which, in turn, increases the client’s overall satisfaction

Our January 2011 survey demonstrated that the CAREGivers of Home Instead Senior Care in Charlotte are taking the time to truly make a difference in the lives of their client’s. When our client’s were given the opportunity to express their feelings toward their CAREGiver, many of them sincerely thought of them as part of their family. This dynamic creates a great quality experience for our clients and a rewarding career for our CAREGivers.

Here are just a few of the many 2011 testimonials.

“Their service is very outstanding. I wouldn’t be able to be in my home if it wasn’t for Home Instead. I would have to live in assisted living or with my children”.

“Everything has been wonderful. The girl that comes to see me couldn’t be replaced. I couldn’t find anyone better than she is. We just love her to death. She is like a daughter. The staff that works for Home Instead are definitely the greatest. I love all of them”.

“Our caregiver is not an employee. She is a member of our family, and not by any marriage. She is an actual member of the family. That is how we feel about our caregiver. She has definitely become a member of our family”.

“I rate them highly because they do everything they said they would do. The person who comes to my home does everything I ask. I just like to say that she is pleasant and capable and I enjoy being with her”.

“I rate them a ‘10’ because our caregiver is very conscientious and kind. I couldn’t ask for a better person. She is neat and clean, well read and an asset in the household”.

We had the privilege of appearing last week on NewsChannel 36/WCNC to talk about our “Be a Santa to a Senior” gift tree program.

The holidays are often a focus for children but many seniors are forgotten during this time of year.  Home Instead Senior Care has been managing the senior gift tree program for several years and you can find out more at http://beasantatoasenior.com. 

If you’d like to participate in the program and want to know where a gift tree is located, simply go to the website and put in your zip code and you’ll find the tree locations near you.  In the Charlotte area, Dilworth Coffee locations will be hosting the gift trees.  Watch the short video:

The gifts for seniors are rather easy because they often need the basics such as socks, t-shirts, underwear, pajamas or things of that nature.   Just go to Dilworth Coffee locations, choose an ornament off the tree, and bring it back to the store with your gifts by December 10th. 

For more information, please call our Home Instead Senior Care office in Charlotte at 704-344-0801 today.

Rest and relaxation are two things we all covet.

After a long day, unwinding usually starts by slipping off your shoes before lounging in the house.  But new research shows that seniors may want to keep their laces tied and Velcro strapped while at home.

For two years, Boston’s Institute for Aging Research, Hebrew SeniorLife, followed 765 people between the ages of 64 and 97.  The findings probably won’t surprise you. 

The study showed that those who wore slippers, wore socks only, or went barefoot on a regular basis at home were far more likely to fall than people who kept their shoes on.

Sure, this might seem a bit obvious, but when you’re helping out a loved in their home, every step matters.  The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that 40 percent of all seniors fall each year, many with life-altering experiences.

In an article for the Chicago Tribune, Dr. Marian Hannan, the study’s senior author and associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, says:

“Falls in older people are an incredibly common event, they don’t call them slippers for nothing. Between no support and no traction, you’re setting yourself up for failure.  Shoes are a natural extension of people’s feet and they have a lot to do with how good or bad your balance is.”

According to the study, here’s how at-home footwear (or lack thereof) breaks down:

• 10 percent: Go barefoot or wear socks or slippers
• 21 percent: loafers
• 26 percent: oxfords
• 36 percent: Sneakers
• Remainder: sandals, high heels or boots.

Of the 563 falls at home that occurred during the study period, half were suffered by the barefoot/slipper/sock group. (There were 1,647 falls reported by 485 participants overall.) Falls took place all over the house — bathroom, stairs, kitchen, living room — and not just in wet, slippery areas.

Falls among seniors are going to happen, it’s inevitable. 

But having the added support and balance of a shoe can give both the senior and their caregiver much needed peace of mind. And if you can’t be there all the time for the elderly people in our life, trust someone who can. Learn more about Home Instead’s CAREGivers, and the in-home services we support.

In the Charlotte area, Home Instead Senior Care provides non-medical in-home care to seniors in their homes to help keep them living independently for as long as possible.  Simply call our office, anytime day or night, at 704.344.0801.